Do You Want Your Car to Sound Like a Spaceship?

If I had the option, I'd want my car to say "Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!" to every pedestrian who didn't get out of my way. The next best thing, though, would be for my car to sound like an alien spaceship from the 1950s. And if I lived in Japan, and owned a Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle, my wish would be coming true very soon.

The automaker will be introducing an optional "pedestrian warning system," according to USA Today, and it's a feature that may be available in the U.S. sometime down the line. Pedestrians in Japan have a higher death rate, says Fox News, because of their "narrow and crisscrossing crowded streets" and "rapidly aging population." Since hybrids are whisper-quiet at low speeds, the theory goes that a little sound will go a long way in making pedestrians aware of the vehicles and, you know, avoid getting killed or injured.

The optional system becomes available at the end of the month for about $150. But I'm already thinking of further options, beside my Forbidden Planet favorite. What if you could make your car "whoosh" like Luke's landspeeder in Star Wars? Or make that electronic meow-ing sound, like all the flying vehicles in The Jetsons? The possibilities are endless ...